United trims flights
United Airlines is cutting about 5% of its scheduled flights as jet fuel prices surge amid the Iran conflict — CEO Scott Kirby warned oil could spike to $175 a barrel in a worst‑case scenario. The reductions will mainly hit red‑eye and low‑traffic routes, shrinking domestic options and making early booking or points strategies more important for spring travel ( ).
United’s internal memo says the carrier will pull roughly three percentage points of off‑peak flying during the second and third quarters to protect margins, describing the moves as targeted cuts to weaker-demand periods. (cnbc.com) The memo also reiterates that United will continue its fleet plan—taking about 120 new aircraft this year (including roughly 20 Boeing 787s) and another ~130 airplanes through April 2028—while avoiding system‑wide furloughs. (cnbc.com) Specific network actions include trimming about one percentage point of capacity at Chicago O’Hare and maintaining suspensions of long‑haul service to Tel Aviv and Dubai as part of the near‑term reshuffle. (cnbc.com) Management quantified the scale of the fuel shock, saying sustained elevated fuel would add about $11 billion to United’s annual fuel bill and noting the carrier’s best year ever produced under $5 billion in profit. (united.mediaroom.com) Investors reacted: United shares fell roughly 4.5% in intraday trade as the market weighed the new cuts and fuel warning, a drop that outpaced declines at other major U.S. carriers. (ts2.tech)
